EU readies emergency trade measures for Armenia

The European Union is preparing to reduce tariffs on Armenian goods that were recently banned by Russia, according to a Financial Times report citing two sources. The tariff reductions would apply to most of the roughly 20 categories of Armenian products affected by Russian import restrictions, including flowers, vegetables, herbs, fruits, and fish. The proposals could be formally presented in the coming weeks and would require approval from a majority of EU member states. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whose party won the June 7 parliamentary elections, previously stated that the EU had promised duty-free trade for agricultural products and pledged government support for exporters affected by the Russian restrictions.